Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology in our Department of Psychology, Dr Jo Daniels, has been announced as a new member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) committee focusing on ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

The committee, which has been established to review evidence around the condition and seek input from key stakeholders, will develop guidelines to help those living with the condition and clinicians working with them.

Dr Daniels is one of the 18-strong committee to have already been appointed, and is the only Clinical Psychologist on the committee panel.

As a leading researcher in this field, her input from psychology will complement that from a range of experts, including patient and carer representatives and those from general practice to physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

The group are expected to publish new guidance in October 2020.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr Daniels said: “I am pleased to be joining the new NICE committee panel in developing new guidance on the management and treatment of ME/CFS. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to scientifically-robust policy development in the field, particularly from a psychologically informed perspective.

“It will be a privilege to work with patients, carer representatives and experts from a range of disciplines to develop evidence-based guidelines that can help improve healthcare for those living with ME / CFS.”

Dr Daniels has been conducting research in the field of ME/CFS since 2005, and has run specialist clinics offering treatment for the condition during that time. Her research stream focusses on the understanding and treatment of anxiety and psychophysiology in complex medical conditions, including ME/CFS, Emergency Medicine and Rheumatology.

Head of the Department of Psychology, Professor Greg Maio added: “A sensitive and evidence-based approach to developing management and treatment guidance is fundamentally important for helping people with ME/CFS, and the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath appreciates NICE’s need for time and insight from experts like Dr Daniels. We are proud that she is helping translate the evidence into prudent impact.”

Learn more about Dr Daniels’ research https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/jo-daniels.